Colonel Misse Njoné, head of the panel of judges in the military tribunal handling the high-profile case of journalist Martinez Zogo’s assassination, is set to rule today on procedural objections raised by the defense and the prosecutorial motions presented by the government commissioner. This case involves 17 defendants, including 12 agents from Cameroon’s powerful intelligence service, the General Directorate for External Research (DGRE). They stand accused of kidnapping, torturing, and killing Martinez Zogo in January 2023. Zogo, a prominent radio host at Amplitude FM in Yaoundé, frequently exposed corruption involving top government officials.

The judge’s decision on whether to accept the defense’s complaints regarding alleged irregularities in the preliminary investigation and the case’s instruction phase could significantly impact the course of the trial. If the judge upholds the defense’s objections, the investigation could be restarted from scratch, potentially resulting in the release of some of the accused. During the last hearing on October 21, the government commissioner opposed all objections and requested their outright dismissal.

In recent hearings on September 30 and October 21, defense attorneys raised multiple procedural challenges, particularly pointing to errors made by investigators during both the preliminary and instruction phases. For instance, lawyers for Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga—an influential businessman suspected of ordering Zogo’s murder—argued that the search of his residence was conducted without a warrant or notification to his attorneys. They also alleged that certain items disappeared during the search.

Furthermore, the defense claims that witness statements were illegally taken and that interrogation records were “regularized” only after the fact. This retroactive approval was reportedly granted by the government commissioner, who headed the joint police-gendarme investigative team. Defense attorneys contest the legality of this team, asserting that jurisdiction should have rested with the public prosecutor in Mfou, where Zogo’s body was found, or the Central Region tribunal prosecutor.

The defense also challenges a December 1, 2023, dismissal order issued by former investigative judge Sikati II Kamwo, which called for the release of Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga and former DGRE chief Léopold Maxime Eko Eko. Following an administrative dispute, the military tribunal deemed the dismissal order falsified, keeping both men in custody. The defense now insists the order was genuine and demands the immediate release of their clients based on this document.

Since the proceedings began in March, these procedural debates have delayed the trial’s progression to substantive issues. Today’s decision by the tribunal president will determine whether the case will finally proceed to the main trial phase or face further delays.

Source: Sbbc

Workers have recovered 12 bodies following landslides that engulfed a road in the west of Cameroon, a regional official said Saturday, adding there is no hope of finding survivors.

State television CRTV reported the comments by the governor of West region, Augustine Awa Fonka.

“In our opinion, there is no longer any possibility of finding survivors,” he told the station.

Only 12 bodies had been recovered from the site of the disaster, the last of them on Saturday morning, he said.

Dozens more people are still missing, and the search for bodies is still continuing, he added.

Two landslides hit the Dschang cliff road Tuesday — the second as emergency workers were using heavy machinery to try to clear the road.

Vehicles hit included three coaches with around 20 seats each, five six-seater vehicles, and several motorbikes said Awa Fonka in an earlier statement.

Cameroon’s roads are notoriously dangerous, with almost 3,000 deaths each year in accidents, or more than 10 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, published in 2023.

In early September, a tractor-trailer carrying passengers plunged off a cliff road into a ravine near the town of Dschang, killing eight people and injuring 62 others, including eight children.

Source: VOA

At least three members of the Boko Haram terror group have been killed in Cameroon’s Far North region, security sources said Thursday.

They were killed in a military offensive against the terror group in the region’s Walassa locality Wednesday night, a senior military official in the region said.

“They (Boko Haram) tried to fight back when our troops attacked, but they were overcome. Several of them escaped with wounds. Our forces will continue to secure the region and protect civilians against the terrorists,” the official, who asked not to be named, said.

Boko Haram has been operating in Cameroon’s Far North region since 2014.

Source: Xinhuanet

The Oslo District Court in Norway has extended the preventive detention of Ayaba Cho Lucas, leader of the Ambazonia Defence Force, for an additional four weeks. According to the decision, the separatist leader will remain under detention until November 19, 2024. The extension aims to prevent tampering with evidence. The court has also imposed restrictions on the defendant’s mail and visitation.

Born Cho Lucas Ayaba on August 11, 1972, the separatist leader was arrested by Norwegian police on September 25 in Oslo, where he resides. His arrest followed a complaint filed by Cameroonian-born US lawyer Emmanuel Nsahlai. Ayaba Cho and other separatist leaders command armed groups in these regions, fighting for the creation of an independent state named “Ambazonia.”

 Ayaba Cho faces charges of incitement to crimes against humanity under the Norwegian Penal Code. The court found reasonable grounds for suspicion, citing his public statements that allegedly encourage attacks on those perceived as opponents of the Ambazonian independence movement.

Ayaba Cho’s statements are viewed as incitement to a “widespread or systematic attack” against civilians, including acts of murder, kidnapping, and persecution. The Norwegian judiciary referenced reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documenting attacks on civilians, teachers, and students by separatist groups.

Under the Norwegian Penal Code, Ayaba Cho could face severe penalties, including long-term imprisonment. According to Article 108 of the Penal Code, penalties for incitement to crimes against humanity can reach up to 21 years in prison.

Source: Sbbc

At least three people were killed in a landslide in West region on Tuesday, according to Governor Augustine Fonka Awa.

Heavy rains triggered a landslide at a steep hill at La Falaise locality in Dschang town of the region, blocking road access. The authorities deployed excavators to reopen the closed roads, but a subsequent landslide buried emergency workers and vehicles that were waiting for the road to be cleared, Awa told reporters Tuesday evening.

“Three passenger buses, motorcycles and vehicles that were working on the site were buried in the debris. At the moment three corpses have been extracted. Rescue workers are still searching for missing people in the rubble,” Awa said.

The highway which links the commercial hub of Douala to the West region is temporarily closed.

Source: Xinhaunet